


Gold-Plated

by scxlias



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Brotherly Love, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-01-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 10:03:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13499680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scxlias/pseuds/scxlias
Summary: It starts like this.Dick follows Jason into the cave, shouting at his brother’s back, while Jason roughly tugs at the release for his helmet.“I mean, I know you’re not going to stop dealing with all of your problems by shooting at them, but could you at least have the decency to not do that while I’m around? Could you at least pretend you still follow some sort of-”“Shut up!” Jason roars, whipping around to hurl his helmet at Dick’s head.





	Gold-Plated

**Author's Note:**

> for the prompt "#4: You were too good to be true/gold plated/but what’s inside you?"

 

It starts after a rough patrol, Jason shot someone in front of Dick and he agrees that the man was a horrible person, but he just  _can’t_  agree with his brother’s methods. 

It starts because Jason’s stressed and so is Dick and it’s coming up on the anniversary or his parents’ deaths. 

It starts in the dim light of the cave, after the others have all hit the showers and headed up to the manor.

It starts like this. 

Dick follows Jason into the cave, shouting at his brother’s back, while Jason roughly tugs at the release for his helmet. 

“I mean, I know you’re not going to stop dealing with all of your problems by shooting at them, but could you at least have the decency to not do that while I’m around? Could you at least pretend you still follow some sort of-”

“Shut up!” Jason roars, whipping around to hurl his helmet at Dick’s head. 

It’s only years of training that keeps the helmet from hitting Dick squarely in the nose. Instead it clips his shoulder, leaving Dick in stunned silence for a few minutes. 

Bruce, from his place at the bat-computer, looks between them with a raised eyebrow. “Don’t bring this upstairs,” he warns, and then he’s gone, following the others into the manor to turn in for the night. 

Neither of his sons spare him even a glance as he leaves.

“God, your incessant whining is getting on every last fucking nerve I have, Dickhead. Get over it! That scumbag deserved what he got, don’t be such a child,” Jason bites out, not bothering to retrieve his helmet.

Dick scoffs. “He deserved to pay for what he did, but Christ, Jason, we’ve been over this! Regardless of what you believe, the rest of us know that we have no place playing judge, jury, and executioner! We’re in no position to be making calls like that! We don’t get to play God! And you’re calling me a child? At least I know how to defend my point of view without resorting to childish insults like you do! If you’re going to insult me at least get some more original ideas.” 

With that he shoulders past Jason. 

He’s done with this. He doesn’t want to go through the motions of the same argument they’ve all had with Jason dozens of times. He’s in no mood for it tonight. All he wants is to get out of this uniform and shower and go to sleep. 

Jason has other plans, apparently.

Dick hasn’t gotten farther than a few feet past him when Jason turns and growls out words that have Dick freezing in his tracks. 

“At least  _I_  found a way to get out of the Bat’s shadow, instead of just changing my name and saying I changed too.” Jason’s tone is biting and cruel, and Dick knows he’s choosing his words to cause the most hurt he can. “At least I’ve made my own goddamn path. I’m not sitting around hoping Bruce’ll give me his worthless goddamn approval, working myself into the fucking ground to keep up this stupid reputation as the fucking Golden Child. Newsflash, you giant bag of dicks! No one cares!” Dick braces a hand against the nearest filing cabinet, suddenly unable to stand on his own. 

But it’s Jason’s final words that really make his knees feel like they’re going to give way. 

“At least  _I’m_  not going to get myself killed one day trying to live up to B’s impossible standards and trying to impress my dead parents!” 

A strangled sound escapes Dick’s lips before he can stop it. 

He can’t even make himself look Jason in the eye. He can’t make himself speak.

“What, what happened, Goldie? Did I hit too close to home with that one? Can’t handle hearing someone say it to you?”

“Fuck you,” Dick forces out through gritted teeth, trying to will his hands to stop shaking.

“Oh, there he is. There’s the real you. You know, I could tell right from the beginning that this whole Golden Boy thing was too goddamn good to be true.”

“Fuck you!” Dick repeats, rounding on Jason this time. “Fuck you, you complete and utter asshole!” He smacks his hands into Jason’s chest hard enough to send him stumbling back a few steps. 

There’s something wet on Dick’s face and he realizes that a few tears have fallen. He scrubs them away furiously, never breaking eye contact with Jason. 

He’s sure his face must be red and his eyes are watery and his hands are shaking and he must look a mess, but he’s angry enough that Jason must be able to feel it. 

The combination of it all has Jason frozen, staring at Dick in something like shock.

“Dick…” he starts, his voice a little softer now. 

Dick doesn’t let him get a word in edgewise. “No! No, you don’t get to do that! You can yell at me all you want, call me a failure or Bruce’s shadow or tell me I’ll never live up to anyone’s expectations, I don’t care, but  _fuck you_  if you think you’re allowed to bring up my parents like that.  _Fuck you_ if you think that you’re allowed to use them against me like that! I know I’m not doing enough and I know that for all my efforts to get out, I still came back and took up the cowl when Bruce was gone, and I know that no matter what I do I’ll never live up to what I’m supposed to be. But don’t… you don’t get to…  _fuck.”_

All of the fight leaves Dick very abruptly, and he lets out a shaky breath, sniffling quietly. He barely spares a glance at Jason’s stricken face before he turns and heads for the showers. 

He’s made it almost halfway across the cave before he registers heavy footsteps and a hand suddenly grabbing his arm. 

“I don’t want to fight anymore, Jay,” he mutters, shrugging out of Jason’s grip. “I’m sorry, you were right, let’s just forget it, okay?”

Jason takes his arm again, not letting him run away like he wants. 

Jason’s voice is impossibly soft when he speaks. 

“It’s almost the anniversary, isn’t it?”

Dick always forgets how good Jason is at reading people. He presses his lips together as he tries to compose himself enough to respond.

His silence is apparently enough of an answer, because Jason does the last thing Dick ever expected him to do. Jason tugs Dick closer, wraps him up in a tight hug and lets his older brother shake apart in his arms.

“You’re too hard on yourself, Dickhead. I was just pushing buttons before, but I mean this now. You put way too much pressure on yourself,” Jason mumbles into Dick’s hair as he holds him upright. 

Dick almost laughs at the nickname. It comes out as a quiet breathy sound, but it’s close enough for now. 

Some indeterminate amount of time later, Jason finally pulls back, shoves Dick back so he has to stand on his own two feet again. 

“Hit the showers. When we’re both not filthy anymore, we can go up and I’ll make us hot chocolate. The good shit, the way Alfie makes it.” That gets a little smile out of Dick. “And remember, come morning, none of this ever happened. I’ll deny it under oath, got it?”

His tone is serious, but there’s a hint of a smile on Jason’s face as he says it. 

Dick really smiles then and follows his brother into the locker room, and thinks that there are worse ways the night could’ve ended.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm on tumblr at _[grxysxns](http://grxysxns.tumblr.com/)_ if you want to say hi!


End file.
